Voters of Atlanta

A series of interviews and profiling the voters of Atlanta, Ga. as they vote in the 2014 midterm election Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.

PRECINCT 03I Georgia Tech Student Service Building

A sign indicates the polling place at the student center at the Georgia Institute of Technology Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2014, in Atlanta, Ga.

Voters cast their ballots Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2014, at the polling place at the student center at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga.

A man presents proof of identification before casting a ballot Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2014, at the polling place at the student center at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga. Georgia has one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation.

Erika, 30, wished to remain partially anonymous.

“I think generally [voter turnout] is never as high as it should be across all elections, but I think there’s definitely a lot of buzz in Georgia about this [election]. Hopefully people are acting and not just talking about the race. I think oftentimes people who are interested in politics – but not maybe invested in it – are interested in the debate but not always the actual act of voting.”

Dave Richie, 31, educator at Emory University

"I think that all of this nonsense reactionary kind of energy that the Republican party picks up on related to the common core is ridiculous. As an educator, I know that instituting a new set of standards is not a simple or easy thing and so to sort of judge it completely on one year of underfunded institutions is a poor choice and needs to be something we carry forward if we’re going to have competitive young people in our county."

Julien Modugno, 29, works in the film industry

“I’m just tired of having a governor that anytime they try to expand Medicare or Medicaid, he’s just going to vote it down when we have tons of uninsured people. I‘ve had a lot of medical issues, I’ve been uninsured, and it’s just stunning to me that somebody would go out of their way to turn people’s health into a political game."

Dina Bailey, 32, museum curator

“I think voting is important. Working at a museum that’s all about social justice, I think we have to educate ourselves and then take responsibility for decisions that we are all making."

PRECINCT 06G Henry W. Grady High School Gym

"I'm a Georgia Voter" stickers ready to be awarded to voters after they cast their ballots for the 2014 midterm election Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2014, at the polling place at Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta, Ga.

Voters using the voting machines to cast their ballots for the 2014 midterm election Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2014, at the polling place at Henry W. Grady High School in Atlanta, Ga.

Mark Levine, 44, educator at Moorehouse College

"I think within Atlanta itself, it’s more Democrat, but outside Atlanta it’s heavily Republican, the small towns, the religious right, the Christian conservatives…. That’s the only way I can see the Republicans winning because Atlanta seems like a very liberal, diverse city."

Ricci de Forest, 63, museum curator

“I'm just making sure that we are a part of the process because so far as not too long ago we were completely unable to vote. So it would be ludicrous for me not to exercise my right to vote and to be a part of change rather than to complain about the existing status quo."

Barbara Dougherty, 24, part-time worker

“I feel like there are a lot of important issues on the table. People need to come and get involved because somebody’s going to be in office either way."

Voters use voting machines to cast their ballots for the 2014 midterm election Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 4, 2014, at the polling place at the Wheat Street Towers Apartment Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

Aniy Moore, 21, student

“A lot of people fought hard for this right and I feel like it’s only right for me to exercise my right to vote, to put more democratic people in office, and to let my voice be heard and my opinion be put out through my vote."

Shantae Mangaroo, 27, recent medical school graduate

“I definitely care about the educational issues because I’ve been in school my whole life and I am a product of going to school here in Georgia in the public school system."

Raymond Benjamin Harris, 21, student, and Joshua James Metcalf

"I think that for me personally, it sounds like, for once, it’s maybe a tighter election in Georgia than normal so I wanted to be sure to vote even though it’s a midterm and it might actually matter this time." "Yeah, I definitely think it’d be a pretty huge deal if, I mean I consider myself a democrat and I’d be pretty upset if we lost the Senate. Georgia is a pretty big swing state for that right now, for whatever reason. I’d figure I’d come out and make a difference for once maybe!"

Jamiya Brinson, 21, Georgia State University student

"My father... was recently released from prison so he wasn’t able to vote, but he was like, 'I need you to come out and vote since my voice can’t be heard because of the decisions that I have made.'"

Ajahn Richard, 21, Georgia State University student

"I don’t really get to watch the news as much, but at Georgia State, [the professors] pushed us to vote, urged us to vote, and really even giving us charts of different people running and what they’re running for so we could try to make the decision yourself."

PRECINCT 04J Central United Methodist Church

A sign stands in front of the voting machines at the Central United Methodist Church, a polling place for 2014 midterm election Tuesday evening, Nov. 4, 2014, in Atlanta, Ga.